I'm trying to fix up a separate computer to build a freeNAS system for large backups, haven't gotten that up and running yet, but I think for right now...I just need a large, fast disk storage system for holding and working on my current few projects.

Does anyone have a suggestion for that?

My macbookpro, has one thunderbolt connector on it...I'd think that would be the way to go, however, I'm using that with a thunderbolt to displayport cable/adapter...to run the Dell U2711 monitor, and I don't think there is a way to chain off that...?

So, likely firewire or sadly, USB2 is about my only option for connecting....

Basically the situation is, the hardisk in my macbookpro (750GB?) is getting full. I only have about 35-60GB free at any given time here lately.

I want to have my RAW photo projects and Video projects I'm working on...on some sort of external drive setup, that would be fast enough to keep up with working on them....like with FCPX editing/rendering...with Davinci Resolve Lite...etc.

But..sounds like you're saying that since I likely only have USB and firewire on my computer, they won't be fast enough?

Hmm...wonder if there is any possible way I could hook something externally on the one thunderbolt connector, and then, chain off that storage unit...to a displayport adapter for my monitor?

I just gotta do something, as that my internal harddrive is just too full and most of it seems to be from my installed applications and iTunes maybe. I think it is frankly mostly installed apps.

Not cheap but excellent investment all around. mine runs 3Tb of useable space in raid 5 (3/4rth of your phisical space if all disks are of equal size), one disk can go to hell you don't lose anything. Ethernet is used so speed isn't an issue. I just see slow down when my router gets prompts from too many devices (3 or 4 out of the 6 we have at home). I'm stuck with a crappy one due to my internet provider (yay china) using weird ass protocols and the absence of competent english speaking techie so right now I'd say router might be the weak link of the set up.

The day it's affordable i get the NAS to run on SSD as the HDD are the next weak point.

I have a great suggestion for you to look into. I wouldn't suggest RAID 1 either because what you gain in speed, you lose in protection. Why back up only to lose it all- right?

Look at Drobo. a tad expensive but fast, protected, hot swappable, gives you notice when a drive will fail, if a drive fails, all data is saved on other disks. When you fill up the drives, replace with bigger ones. If you max out Drobo (possible, but with capacious drives, hard to imagine at this point) you can daisy chain them. There are a good number to choose from.

I have been using mine a couple of years and love it. It is easy to set up. Additionally, you can start with two drives and add more when you get more $$. It is a lot easier than the setup you describe (I have tried NAS before and they can be a pain to set up and keep up). I am on Mac's and no problem.

I would finally suggest that you keep your Macbook clean and simple. Just keep your programs on there and keep you pics etc. on the Drobo. With fast drives in the Drobo, you shouldn't have a problem doing intensive editing.

I'm trying to fix up a separate computer to build a freeNAS system for large backups, haven't gotten that up and running yet, but I think for right now...I just need a large, fast disk storage system for holding and working on my current few projects.

Does anyone have a suggestion for that?

My macbookpro, has one thunderbolt connector on it...I'd think that would be the way to go, however, I'm using that with a thunderbolt to displayport cable/adapter...to run the Dell U2711 monitor, and I don't think there is a way to chain off that...?

So, likely firewire or sadly, USB2 is about my only option for connecting....

My macbookpro, has one thunderbolt connector on it...I'd think that would be the way to go, however, I'm using that with a thunderbolt to displayport cable/adapter...to run the Dell U2711 monitor, and I don't think there is a way to chain off that...?

New Apple displays have an extra T-bolt on the back. But obviously that doesn't help in your case. :-(

I wonder if you could connect your monitor through the FireWire (?), which would open up the Thunderbolt port.

Or you could get a FireWire 7200rpm drive and settle for that. I've got a 7200rpm G-Drive and it seems reasonably fast with After Effects, although I have no idea how it really stacks up against thunderbolt and/or SSD.

Any decent TB device can be used as a daisychain, just plug a storage device into the computer TB socket then plug your display into the storage devices second TB socket.

I am running an older MBP 17" with an eSATA card. I have a 256GB SSD in the original HDD space, this is partitioned into two, a 200GB operating system and apps drive, 50+ as a scratch disc and temporary storage place. I then have a 1TB HDD in the place of the CD/DVD tray, this works really well, so well in fact that I got a Mac Mini and did the same thing to it as a "home" desktop.

I have six external HDD's attached to the MBP, two via eSATA, the other four via daisychained Firewire 800. I have no RAID setups. I use Carbon Copy Cloner and Time Machine to cover my backup tasks.

Use a dedicated disc for Time Machine, it is a great program that will save your butt. I use CCC for everything else, including fully bootable backups of both internal HDD's and all external drives copied, apart from the disc I use for TM.

The real problem with DROBOS (which has a very mixed review history) and most other one cable RAID solutions, they use proprietary software to write your info to disc, this means if you have a serious gear failure the only way your info can be read is by sending your HDD's off to the manufacturer and paying them to get all that stuff back off your discs that they encoded!

That is why I use CCC to make simple copies, at a block level, of my HDD's as backups. Just plug any copy into your computer and it works, everything is there, including working app's, preferences, everything.

Logged

Too often we lose sight of the fact that photography is about capturing light, if we have the ability to take control of that light then we grow exponentially as photographers. More often than not the image is not about lens speed, sensor size, DR, MP's or AF, it is about the light.

I'll try it on the network as a NAS, but if that isn't speedy enough hooked to my router, I was thinking of trying to maybe get a crossover cable, and plug it DIRECTLY into my macbook pro's ethernet port. If both are gigabit...I'd think that would be fast enough to work with?

I'd just use wireless on the mac for network connectivity in place of the wired ethernet port....wondering if that might work?

Anyway, this is a stopgap measure, and I'll be able to use this unit repurposed later....the deal ended today with the code, I got it for $184 which was about as cheap as I'd seen around anywhere.

I should get it in on Sat and will play with it. Again, if it doesn't work fast enough, I can use it on the network for other things.

Thanks for the insight so far....I'm still researching a better end solution...

I have a 12TB NAS but its not the way to go for editing directly from it. Even with two 1 GB network cables in parallel, its slow for editing. I won't even edit still directly from it unless its urgent.Its great for storing files and backups, which is what I use it for.

For the you are currently working on (especially video projects), I'd consider an external drive attached with Firewire 800, USB 3 or Thunderbolt (not for the 2011 Macbook though). The network connection of a NAS, even over a Gigabit network, could still be a bottleneck, depending on the networking performance of the NAS and/or your computer. Use the internal drive as the Scratch disk, and keep the video files on the external drive until your done. Use the NAS for long term storage and backup.

I have a 12TB NAS but its not the way to go for editing directly from it. Even with two 1 GB network cables in parallel, its slow for editing. I won't even edit still directly from it unless its urgent.Its great for storing files and backups, which is what I use it for.

What do you recommend for working from them, that is external to the computer (in my case a laptop)?